WHAT IS PUBLIC HEALTH
Public Health professionals help prevent disease and promote health in the population, locally and globally, and play a vital role in our communities. The College of Public Health at Kent State University prepares students for careers in some of today's most exciting public health fields: disease investigation, health services administration, global health, community involvement, advocacy and activism, and many others. We offer academic programs that provide a "Pathway to a Public Health Career" for students at all stages of their careers.
PROGRAMS OF STUDY
Our major of Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) includes concentrations in Allied Health, Clinical Trials Research, Community Health Outreach and Development, Global Health, Health Services Administration, and Pre-Medicine. We offer a master's degree in Public Health (MPH) in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health and Policy Management, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Additionally, students can complete a Master of Science (M.S.) in Clinical Epidemiology. Doctoral degrees (Ph.D.) in Epidemiology, Health Policy and Management, and Prevention Science are also offered.
RANKINGS
The College of Public Health at Kent State stands above the rest. Our College was the first in Ohio to offer a Bachelor of Science degree in public health. The 2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges ranks Kent State as a Top 100 University. Edumed.org and CollegeChoice.net frequently rank Kent State's College of Public Health as a top choice. We meet the rigorous accreditation standards defined by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). Many of our online classes are Quality Matters™ approved. Quality Matters™ is an international, faculty-centric, nonprofit organization focused on improving the design and certifying the quality of online and hybrid courses.
REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE
Students enjoy working closely with faculty who have trained at some of the best universities globally and locally. Our faculty bring years of experience with them to the classroom and to practice. Faculty encourage students to work alongside them on cutting-edge research projects in the classroom and communities in areas such as substance abuse prevention, health literacy, health systems change, violence prevention, pandemic preparedness and more.
Undergraduate and graduate students regularly find networking and service opportunities when they join The Public Health Student Alliance, our registered student organization, and meet with our Public Health Career Ambassadors. Students can complete internship opportunities locally and globally and earn up to six hours of academic credit toward their degrees.
Study abroad is encouraged for students in the College of Public Health. The College of Public Health oversees a two-week trip to Geneva, Switzerland, in mid-May to attend and participate in the World Health Organization's World Health Assembly. Additionally, students can participate in a four-week trip to Florence, Italy, to study plagues and the renaissance's birthplace.
Our Office of Public Health Practice and Partnerships (OPHPP) builds practice-based relationships between academic, public health agencies, healthcare organizations and communities. We are the Academic Health Department's front door, an innovative collaboration between the College of Public Health, the Portage County Health Department and the City of Kent Health Department. This partnership provides students with real-world career experience and research opportunities.
CURRICULUM
Kent State's College of Public Health emphasizes preparing students for the public health workforce by offering a competency-based education and focusing on hands-on experience, engaging coursework, and individual and group work. Undergraduate students work directly with professional academic advisors to help tailor Kent Core and public health courses to achieve their career goals.
Well-qualified undergraduate students have the unique opportunity to join our combined degree program, allowing them to gain entry to either the Master of Science in. Clinical Epidemiology or Master of Public Health programs before completing their undergraduate degree. This agreement allows students to apply graduate-level coursework to their undergraduate degree.
Our curriculum empowers students to develop career and faculty connections and become public health leaders after graduation.